St. Stanislaus School benefit, 9 to 4 in Kolbe Hall, Adams. Bake sale, snack bar, games, Chinese auctions, money raffle, crafts, and pierogi.
Blackinton Union Church, 1373 Massachusetts Ave., North Adams; 10 to 2. Crafts table, bake sale, Chinese auction, the Christmas table, and kid's grab bag. Lunch $4, $2 kids.
First Congregational Church, North Adams, 9-2.
Nov. 28 Becket Federated Church, Route 8, holiday bazaar from 9-3. Lunch, crafts, baked goods, holiday and other items. Information: Mary Peltier, Parish House, 413-623-5217.
Dec. 5
Holiday Fair at First Congregational Church, 25 Park Place, Lee, from 10 to 3; handcrafted items, raffles, children's shop, bake sale, cut Christmas trees and lunch from 11 to 1. Includes angel-themed goods from SERRV. Information, 413-243-1033 or www.ucc-lee.org.
Dec. 12-13
North Adams Country Club, crafts 9-4; food from That's a Wrap from 11-2. Information: Sheryl Morehouse at 413-822-3329.
Planning a bazaar this season? Submit information to info@iberkshires.com to have it listed here.
We're trying out blogs to offer shorter, easy-to-find news. Let us know what you think.
Send press releases and announcements to info@iberkshires.com. Need to contact someone at iBerkshires? Here's how.
Mammography Dispute The government's issued controversial new guidelines stating that women shouldn't get annual mammograms until age 50, rather than age 40.
iBerkshires will be meeting with local medical experts Monday. Have a question you'd like answered on this issue? Send it info@iberkshires.com with "mammogram" in the subject line.
By Joan Rubel Berkshire AHEC 05:37PM / Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Dear Tobacco Talk:
My kids are bugging me to quit smoking and I've tried. But, before too long, I was smoking again. I'm discouraged. What am I doing wrong?
Tried to Quit in Adams
Dear Tried to Quit:
What are you doing wrong? Nothing! Smoking is a tough addiction to break so don't get down on yourself about it. The average smoker tries to quit six or seven times before quitting for good. Every time you try to quit you learn something new about what triggered the urge to smoke and how you need to adapt your life to become tobacco-free.
Quitting is a process and, along the way, you can learn a lot about yourself. Maybe the first lesson is how to not give up on yourself. Don't give up if you don't master quitting the first or second time and don't let a failed attempt get you blue. You've mastered other important things in your life and you can master tobacco, too. Remember the old maxim? If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
What would help make you successful at quitting the next time? There are four key steps:
■ Make sure you're clear about why you want to quit. Think about how your health will improve if you quit, how glad your family and friends will be and how much money you'll save. You might want to climb steps without becoming winded or be a better role model to your kids or save money to buy a boat. Whatever reason motivates you is a good one.
■ Make a quit plan. Pick a quit date two to four weeks in the future. Think about the times, places, people or feelings that make you want to smoke. These are your triggers and if you understand them you'll be more able to deal with them. Plan for how you'll deal with cravings and other symptoms of withdrawal. People who use medicine like the patch to deal with cravings are twice as likely to be successful at quitting.
■ Set your plan in motion. Line up your supporters: friends, family and others who you can count on when the going gets tough. Let them know how they can help distract your from cravings or find new ways to deal with stress. Decide if you'll use medicines and make your home and car smoke-free to reduce temptations. Call 1-800-Try-To-Stop (1-800-879-8678) if you'd like advice or ideas from a trained telephone counselor.
■ Learn from your experience. If you start smoking again, don't get down on yourself; quitting is hard. Make changes to your plan, come up with new ways of dealing with the cravings, set a new quit date and try again. You'll be closer than ever to quitting for good!
So, dear friend of Tobacco Talk, good luck on your next quit attempt. And tell us about your successes. Have you invented a great way to distract yourself from the cravings? Recently, someone told us that she drinks lemon water ... she says it makes the cigarettes taste bad.
Share your stories and strategies here by posting a comment below — maybe your idea will help someone else quit for good! Or, send your comments to tobaccotalk@berkshireahec.org or call toll free (866) 976-AHEC (2432).
Learn more about quitting smoking at www.makesmokinghistory.org or by contacting me, Joan Rubel, at Berkshire Area Health Education Center.
Joan Rubel, coordinator of Berkshire Area Health Education Center's Northern Berkshire Tobacco-Free Community Partnership, helps educate and inform about the high health and economic impact of tobacco. For more information, visit www.berkshireahec.org or contact Joan at jrubel@berkshireahec.org. Tobacco Talk runs monthly.
Hi Joan, FYI - have not seen any e-cigarettes being sold in Berkshire stores...heard about it on-line.
Thanks for responding,
Wondering
from: Wondering
on: 08-20-2009
Hi Wondering...I believe you're asking about electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes. These are battery-operated devices that contain cartridges filled with nicotine, flavor and other chemicals. The e-cigarette turns nicotine, which is highly addictive, and other chemicals into a vapor that is inhaled by the user. Recently the FDA found carcinogens and toxic chemicals in test batches of electronic cigarettes.
These products are being marketed to young people and we are particularly interested in where they are being sold. If you spot e-cigarettes in a store in the Berkshires, please let me know.
from: Joan
on: 08-14-2009
Hi SCP...Thanks so much for sharing your strategies for sucess and congratulations for being tobacco free since 1981!
from: Joan
on: 08-14-2009
For me, it was difficult not to have a cigarette after meals. To avoid that urge, I immediately left the table after eating and went for a walk. When I returned the urge was gone. I also rewarded myself if I went for a week without a cigarette. I slowly took up exercise and built my stamina from there. Good Luck and stick with it! Smoke free since 1981!
from: SCP
on: 08-13-2009
Hi Joan, What do you know about these new "fake" cigarettes that light up and blow real smoke? You can buy them with little nicotine or no nicotine. I know they are not approved by the FDA yet.
from: Wondering
on: 08-13-2009
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So, dear friend of Tobacco Talk, good luck on your next quit attempt. And tell us about your successes. Have you invented a great way to distract yourself from the cravings? Recently, someone told us that she drinks lemon water ... she says it makes the cigarettes taste bad. 